Moving to Texas from Washington
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Washington to Texas — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Washington to Texas, you would find that Texas is 17.7% cheaper than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $61,700 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Houston averages 80°F vs 60°F in Seattle, making it significantly warmer. Seattle and Houston are about 1,900 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Texas? Get a shortlist of towns in Texas that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Texas cheaper than Washington?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 13.5% less
Groceries
pay 14.0% less
Transportation
pay 13.3% less
Housing
pay 24.7% less
Childcare
pay 26.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Texas?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Texas
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Texas cost about 13% less than cities in Washington.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Washington to Texas.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Washington generally does better on safety, though Texas leads in property crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Washington performs better than Texas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Texas generally does better on what about housing?, though Washington leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Texas leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington performs better than Texas across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Texas vs Washington
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seattle | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/38°F (10°/3°C) | 67°/48°F (20°/9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/47°F (18°/8°C) | 86°/67°F (30°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 74°/55°F (23°/13°C) | 93°/73°F (34°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/41°F (11°/5°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/11°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seattle | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/37°F (8.4°/2.7°C) | 63°/43°F (17.2°/6.2°C) |
| Feb | 50°/37°F (9.9°/2.7°C) | 66°/47°F (19.1°/8.1°C) |
| Mar | 54°/39°F (12.1°/4.1°C) | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.4°C) |
| Apr | 58°/42°F (14.7°/5.7°C) | 80°/59°F (26.4°/15.2°C) |
| May | 65°/47°F (18.2°/8.5°C) | 86°/68°F (30.2°/19.8°C) |
| Jun | 70°/52°F (21.1°/11.1°C) | 91°/73°F (33.0°/22.9°C) |
| Jul | 76°/56°F (24.3°/13.1°C) | 94°/75°F (34.3°/23.9°C) |
| Aug | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.3°C) | 94°/75°F (34.7°/23.8°C) |
| Sep | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.2°C) | 90°/70°F (32.1°/21.0°C) |
| Oct | 60°/46°F (15.4°/7.7°C) | 82°/61°F (27.8°/16.1°C) |
| Nov | 51°/40°F (10.5°/4.4°C) | 72°/52°F (22.5°/11.2°C) |
| Dec | 46°/36°F (7.6°/2.0°C) | 64°/45°F (17.9°/7.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Washington?
Yes — Texas is on average about 18% cheaper than Washington. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Texas?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $15,425 in Texas on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Texas safe?
Washington generally does better on safety, though Texas leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Texas compared to Washington?
Washington performs better than Texas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Texas compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Houston is 80°F, compared to 60°F in Seattle. Houston receives around 49.8 in of rainfall per year, while Seattle gets 37.5 in.
